RAMET RECRUITMENT FROM DIFFERENT BUD TYPES ALONG A GRASSLAND DEGRADATION GRADIENT IN INNER MONGOLIA, CHINA

QIAN J.; BUSSO CA; ZHENGWEN WANG; LIU ZHIMIN

POLISH JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

POLISH ACAD SCIENCES INST ECOLOGY

Año: 2015 vol. 63 p. 38 - 52

1505-2249

Since the contribution of total belowground bud bank and different bud types to community regeneration has rarely been explored, the vegetative offspring recruited from different belowground bud types was investigated in four plant communities along a grassland degradation gradient in northeastern China (Inner Mongolia). This gradient, between 1000 and 1500 m a.s.l., has been caused by overgrazing. It is a Leymus chinensis steppe which occupies about 3.0×105 ha. Recruitment from tiller buds was dominant (>80%) in determining the total vegetative offspring density along the whole grassland degradation gradient. However, the proportional contribution of tiller-ramets to total ramet recruitment was significantly greater (P